8 Sneaky Habits that Slow Metabolism

Remember back in the day when you could eat a 5,000-calorie donut without gaining a pound? Sigh. Those were the days. You might find your metabolism takes more naps than it used to, but while a slow metabolism comes with age, there are likely a few sneaky habits you might not realize are adding fuel to the fire.

Here are 8 habits to ditch to bring your slow metabolism back up to speed:

1. You’re not drinking enough cold water

“Water triggers the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn stimulates your metabolism,” says Dr. Oz. Drinking 500 milliliters of water may boost your slow metabolism by 30 percent for up to an hour!

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2. Your caffeine intake is low

Great news for coffee lovers: Caffeine stimulates your slow metabolism for a few hours after you’ve consumed it, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

3. Your stress level is too high

A recent study in Biological Psychiatry revealed that if you’re stressed out before eating a high-fat meal, the stress lowers your metabolism rate and makes it harder for your body to burn off the pounds. The study also found stress has the same effect on the body whether or not you’re eating a meal that contains “good” or “bad” fat.

4. You’re not getting enough omega-3

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been found to increase the speed of your metabolism, according to a study from the University of Ontario. Researchers found that it can lower levels of stored fat by increasing the fat-burning enzymes in your body.

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5. You’re not getting enough sleep

A study from the University of Chicago Medicine Researchers found that not getting enough sleep can negatively impact your fat cells. They discovered that sleeping for 4.5 hours compared to 8.5 hours per night reduces the ability of fat cells to respond to insulin (which regulates energy). The further you drop below eight hours of sleep, the more likely you’ll experience those dreaded carb cravings.

6. You don’t have an eating schedule

A 2012 Hebrew University study found when mice were fed high fat foods sporadically, they gained more weight than mice that ate a similar diet on a consistent schedule. Researchers are using this as a sign that eating at roughly the same time each day trains your body to burn more calories between meals.

7. You’re not getting enough calcium

Researchers at the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville discovered that the more calcium you consume, the more fat you burn, so start stocking up on your dairy ladies! Milk, yogurt, cheese, the works!

8. You’re a cardio queen

If your workouts focus more on cardio and less on resistance training, you’re not building the lean muscle necessary to give your slow metabolism a boost. According to WebMD, your body burns calories even when you’re doing nothing, and this resting metabolic rate is higher in people with more muscle. Strength-training activates muscles all over your bod, which raises your metabolic rate.